Knitting-machine.



L. N. nfWlLLlAMs.- .KNITTING MACHINE'. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE 2 4 1914.

1,184,501'. Patented Maye, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L. N. D. wLLLLAL/ls. KNLTTLNL MACHINE. APPLICATION FlLED lUNE24. 1914.

Paeufedl May 23, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.'

LOUIS N. I). WILLIAMS, OF

OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA.

KNITTINe-ivrricnnvrz. A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Apnlication led June 24, 1914. l Serial No.. 846,945.

To all whom timer/concern.' r

Be it "known that I, Louis N. D.; WIL- mans, a citizen of the UnitedvStates,'resid ingV in Ogontz, Pennsylvania, have invented certain'Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is aspecifi-` cation.

My invention consists of amachine for producing more rapidly thanbefore, stockings have toes of the type shown in Samuel Henshalls PatentNo. 388,678, dated August 28, 1888, that is to say, toes formed byuniting the edges of independently pro-` duced tapered webs, oneprojecting from the'instep portion of the foot and the other from thesole portion of the same.

lIn the accompan ing drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of theforward end of the foot ltube of la stocking with toeforming blanksproduced thereon in accordance `with my invention; Fig. 2 Iis avertical. sectional view of suilicient of my improved knitting machineto illustrate my invention;

Fig.l 3 is a similar section with the needle-1v picking devices in adifferent position from that shown in Fig. 2; F i'g. 4 is a similar soysection with the needle-picking -devices in a still different position.and with the cam mechanisms differently disposed; Fig. 5 is a diagramillustrating the disposition ofthe needles'in the machine, and Fig. 6 isa viewa'i of a special form of needle which maysome` times be employed.

y The stocking shown in the Henshall patent before referred to had atthe front end of the foot tube two' projecting and tapering webs one onthe upper or instep half of the foot and the other on the sole or lowerhalf stocking-is similar to that of Henshall, 'the difference being thatwhereas, in the Hen., shall stocking, the toe websknitted successively,in my stocking the webs l and lc are knitted simultaneously and withseparate yarns, asindicated respectively by lfull and dotted lines inFig. 1 The Henshall Stocking was provided around the edge' of each ofthe tapered webs 1 and 1"withv a band 2 so as to provide a course ofstitches for being applied tothe points of the looping machine, wherebythe toe was closed 'or ycompleted-by uniting the stitches around theedge of the web lbvto those aroundthe ,regular succession circle.

edge ofthe web l, and my stocking may or provided with this band, as demay not be sired. Y

In knitting my improved stocking I lemploy a knitting machine of thecircular type and capable of to-and-fro knitting or of bothround-and-round and to-and-fro knitting, the needle cylinder of suchmachine being provided with two semi-circular banks of needles and themachine lbeing .also provided withtwo sets ofneedle-actuating cammechanisni, one for acting upon the needles ofone bank and the other foracting upon the needles of the other bank, each of these sets of cammechanisml having combined therewith needle. picking mechanism whereby,during to-and-fro knitting, needle after needle, at'the opposite ends ofthe respective banks can be moved out of operative relation with thevknittingcams so as to gradually reduce the number of active needles ineach bank and thus graduallyT reduce the width ofthe web which is beingproduced I,elle-actuating cams which operate one bank of needles being'set diametrically opposite to those which operate the other bank ofneedles and one set of needle-actuating cams operating its bank ofneedles simultaneously with the operation of the other bank of needlesby the opposite vneedle'-actuating cams. If it is desired to knit.round-andround, however, one set of needle-actuat'in cams can beadjusted to a positien in 1i e vertically lwith the otherl set sov.t-,l'iat the operationl ofthe needles ofone bank follows. that oftheoperation of the needlesof the other '-bank, the needles being actuatedin throughout the ventire Any desired construction of needle pickpurposeof illustration I.' have selected that shown in my- Letters Patent No.774,124,

datedl November, 1904, to which reference lng mechanism may be employedbut'for thek ,accompanying drawings, those members-of v theneedle-operating cam mechanism and of the picking mechanism which it hasbeen necessary to show have been numbered to accord, with the numberingof the correspondingparts in the drawings of the patent.l t p For thepurpose of producing the toe portion of the stocking or'ily, the liftingpick-l ers are employed as the shaping of the web is effected entirelyby a narrowing operation.- If, however, the machine is intended toproduce a heel pocket upon the foot tube one of the needle-actuating cammechanisms may be combined with both lifting and de-k pressing pickersas in such case .both narrowing'and widening operations will have to beperformed upon the bank of needles actuated by said cam mechanism inproducingA the heel.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, 20 represents the needlecylinder suitably mounted in a fixed holder Q1 and car'-A rying twosemi-circular banks of needles 23 and 24, the needles '23 having longerstems butts upon which the knitting cams act are in differenthorizont-al planes and thus provide for thel use' of two cam ringsshown, re-

spectively, at 1 and l, the cam Iring l being mounted above the camlring 1 and carrying cams which act upon the butts ofthe short needles24, while the cam ring 1 is provided with cams which act upon the buttsof the long needles 23. The rings 1 and 1a are locked together for jointrotation or recip- -rocation and the ring 1 is locked to a drive ring25, the latter being mounted so as to be'free to either rotateorreciprocate in aI bea-ring in the-main frame or bed 26 and beingintended for cooperation with mechanism whereby either rotating orreciprocating movement may be imparted to it in -a manner customary inmachines of this type.

In the present instance the cam rings l and 1a are locked together bymeans of a spring-actuated bolt 27 and the cam ring 1a is locked to the,drive ring 25 by means of a spring-actuated bolt 28, both of these boltsbeing carried by the cam ring 1 and being actuated by one and the samespring 429, each bolt having a knob projecting through a slot in the camring, whereby the bolts may be retracted to unlocking position orpermitted to project into locking position. The cam ring .1 -a has twobolt-receiving openings in order to permit locking of the cam rings'together' either when the needle operating cams are diametricallyopposed for to-and-fro knitting, as in Fig. 2, or are disposed almostdirectly one above the other for round-and-round knitting, as in Fig.v4, and the drive ring 25 may likewise beprovided with twobolt-receiving openings in order that the 'cam ring 1' may be adjustedto said different positions witho'ut corresponding movement. of thedrive ring, or w-here such independent adjustment 1s not necessary thecam ring 1 may be permanently secured to the drive ring and the bolt 28may be omitted.

In reference to the construction androperation ofthe needle supportingand actuating members 4, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 18, shown in thedrawing, it will be sufficient to say that these partsare constructedand operated in the same manner as the corresponding parts of themachine Vof my Patent 774,124, before referred to. v

In Fig. 2, theparts are shown in position for the pickerlO of the camring 1 to act upon the end needlesw (Fig. 5) of the bank of long needles-Q/,and the picker 10 of the cam ring 1a is in position to act upon theend needle w of the bank of short needles g' y, the cam rings moving. inthe direction 'with the butts of the needles, and, by the 90 .time thelatterhave reached their elevated or inoperative position, will be freefrom engagement with said butts and will be restored to operativeposition again by action of the springsl-t'. In knitting'round-and- 'eround or inl knitting to-and-fro with the full banks of needles, thepickers are moved to and retained in inoperative positi'onby means ofthe cams 18,- as shown in Fig. 4. Mounted upon the upper end of the-needle cylinder E20 is a ring 30 in which are radially guided the webholders 31, radial movement being imparted to these web holders at theproper timebymeans of a cam ring 3:2, which is mounted .upon the ring 30so as to be either rotated or reciprocated. thereon by engagement oflugs 33 on said ringwith a projectingarm 34 which carries a ,yarn

-machine is a similar bracket r36 which carries,

a yarn guide 35a, the latter being adjusted to position to feed itsyarn` to the needles during to-and-fro knitting, as shown in-Fig. E2,but being raised out of-operative relation with the needles, as shown inFig. 4, or having its yarn severed, when round-and-round knitting isbeing performed.

The cam which retracts the web holders at the ever-active feed 35 may bexedly mounted upon the ring 32 but the vcam which retracts the webholders at the intermittently-active yarn feed 35a should, bypreference, be adjustable on said ring either to the position shown inFig. 2 or 3, so as to retract the web holders when said yarn feed 35a isfeeding yarn to the needles, or

to the position shown in Fig. 4, so as to 130 .permit said web holdersto remain in the projected position when the yarn feed 3 5 is moved tonon-feeding position.

' In producing a toe having oppositely disposed narrowed webs eachhaving an edge band 2, as shown in Fig. l, the machine will be operatedso as to knit to-and-ro until the narrowed webs have been completed,whereupon all of the needles will be adjusted to is two-part throughout,a single cam ring can be used, said ring carrying oppositely disposedsets of cam mechanism eachl with a needle picker, and both to-and-froknitting and round-and-round knitting can be effected upon .a machinehaving but a single cam cylinder if the cams are so mounted in thelatter.. as to be susceptible ofprojection and retraction. In such casethe short needles may have long butts, as shown in Fig.

2, and the long needles may have both long butts w at the bottom andshort butts lw between the bottom and top, as shown 'in Fig. 6.

In lknitting to-and-fro upon a machine of this type the oppositelydisposed cams will be adjusted so as to act upon the long butts of therespective needles but in knitting round-and-round the upper cams willbe projected so as to act both upon thelong butts of the short needlesand upon the vshort butts w of the ldng'needle's, the lower cams'beingretracted so as tov fail to act upon the long butts 'w ofsaid longneedles.

` I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine susceptible of either round-and-roundor to-andfro knitting, the rcombination of two semicircularI banks ofneedles, and needle-operating cam mechanism and `a yarn guide for eachbank of needles, each of saidl needleactuating cam mechanisms -beingcombined with picker mechanism .for moving needles in successiontoinoperative position in re'.

spect to the cams.

o2. In a circular knitting machine susceptible of either round-and-roundor to-andfro knitting, the combination of two semicircular banks ofneedles, and needle-operating cam mechanism and a yarn guide for eachbank of needles, eachof said needleactuating cam mechanisms beingcombined with picker mechanism for moving needles insuccession toinoperative position in respect to the cams, and one cam'carrier beingmovable in respect to the other, whereby'the relation ofthe cammechanism to one' anothermay be changed to cause them to act'simultaneously upon their' respective vneedles during to-andforknitting or to follow one another in their action during round-and-roundknitting.

3. In a circular knitting machinesusceptible of either `roundandround orto-andfro knitting, the combination of a needle' carrier having twosemi-circular banks of needles, needle-actuating cam mechanism and ayarn guide for each bank of needles, pickers operating in connectionwith each cam mechanism, means for adjusting said 'cam-mechanism inrespect to one another,

and means for locking them their adjusted positions.

4. In a circularknitting machine susceptible of eitherround-and-round orto-andin either of fro knitting, the combination of a needlecarrierhaving two semi-circular banks of needles, knitting cam carriers andyarn4 guides', one Jfor each bank of needles, pickers operating inconnectionwith eachy knitting cam vmechanism,'means.for adjusting saidcarriers in respect to one another,l means for locking said carriers ineither of their adjusted positi0ns,'a driving device for one of said camcarriers, the latter being adjustable in respect to said driving device,and

means for locking said cam carrier to said driving device in either ofits 'adjusted positions.

" In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence' of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses: i

KATE A. BEADLE, v ,HAMILTON D. TURNER.

